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Why your products aren't working — and why porosity is probably the reason nobody mentioned.
If you've used a highly-rated hair product that did absolutely nothing for your hair, porosity is likely the reason nobody told you about. It determines whether water and actives penetrate your hair shaft or sit on top of it. The float test you've seen on TikTok doesn't work. Here is how to actually identify yours — and what to do differently based on the answer.
If you've ever used a highly-rated hair product that didn't work for you, hair porosity is likely the missing link. The category your hair falls into changes almost every product decision you make.
You spend money on a shampoo everyone loves. Your hair feels worse. You try a deep conditioner with glowing reviews and your hair feels heavy and coated for days. You add an oil that's supposed to transform dry ends — and your hair just looks greasy.
This is one of the most common hair frustrations, and the reason is almost never the product. If you've ever used a highly-rated hair product that didn't work for you, hair porosity is likely the missing link. Porosity determines whether water and products actually penetrate your hair shaft — or sit on top of it. And almost no one is told this when they buy products.
What Porosity Is
The cuticle structure that determines whether your products work or don't.
Hair porosity describes how easily your hair absorbs and holds water and products. Low porosity has tight cuticles — moisture enters and leaves slowly. High porosity has gaps or lifted scales — water rushes in and evaporates fast, often causing frizz. Medium porosity absorbs and retains with minimal fuss.
The cuticle is the outermost layer of each hair strand — overlapping scales, like roof tiles. When those scales lie flat and tight, very little gets in or out: that is low porosity. When the scales are raised or damaged — by heat styling, bleaching, chemical processing, or sun exposure — things get in easily but leave just as fast: high porosity. Medium sits between the two.
Porosity is partly genetic. Individuals with textured hair — naturally wavy, curly, or coily — are more likely to have more porous hair than individuals with straight hair. It is also partly acquired. The heat styling article covered how flat irons above 200°C permanently alter keratin's protein structure. That structural change is also a porosity change — damaged cuticle scales that no longer lie flat.
How to Actually Test It
The float test doesn't work — here is what does.
The float test has been all over social media for years: drop a strand in water, floating means low porosity, sinking means high. This is inaccurate. Surface tension — not porosity — determines whether hair floats. A single lightweight strand will float gently regardless, and dry hair is buoyant in water. The test gives false readings. Skip it.
The spray test is more reliable: mist a small section of dry, product-free hair with water. If the water beads up and sits on the surface → low porosity. If it absorbs almost instantly → high porosity. If it absorbs within a few seconds, not immediately → medium. This is behaviour-based, which is what actually matters.
The drying time test: after washing, note how long your hair takes to air dry. Very slow (3+ hours) → low porosity. Fast (under an hour) → high porosity. In between → medium. If you already know your drying time, you may already know your porosity.
What to Do With the Answer
Three different porosity types — three different product strategies.
Products sit on the surface rather than absorbing. The strategy is to open the cuticle temporarily to let moisture in: warm water rather than cold, pre-warming oils in your hands before applying, and applying products to slightly damp hair rather than dry. Low porosity works best with lightweight humectants, light emollients, and occasional clarifying shampoo to remove product buildup. Avoid heavy butters and thick oils — they coat without penetrating. Protein treatments tend to make low porosity hair feel stiff, so use sparingly if at all.
The most forgiving category. Most products are designed for medium porosity, which is why people with medium porosity hair tend to have fewer product frustrations. Regular moisturising and occasional deep conditioning is enough. The main risk is shifting toward high porosity through repeated damage — bleaching, heat styling, and chemical processing can raise the cuticle over time. The better maintained your medium porosity hair is, the longer it stays that way.
Absorbs everything immediately but loses moisture just as fast — which is why high porosity hair feels perpetually dry and frizzy despite constant product use. The strategy is to layer: humectant to draw moisture in, cream to provide moisture, then oil or butter to seal it in and slow evaporation. High porosity benefits from protein treatments approximately every two weeks to fill microscopic gaps in the cuticle, and rich conditioners with ceramides. In humid weather, use anti-humectant stylers on top — without a sealant, the humectant draws external humidity into an already-open cuticle, making frizz worse.
The carrier oil article covered which oils penetrate and which don't. Porosity changes the application strategy.
Low porosity: Apply oil to slightly damp hair. The four-minute scalp massage generates warmth that temporarily opens the cuticle, improving penetration. Use lighter oils like jojoba.
High porosity: The pre-wash oil is particularly valuable as a protective barrier before shampooing. Open cuticles absorb hard water minerals, chlorine, and detergent more aggressively — a coating of coconut oil before washing significantly limits that absorption.
The most useful thing to take from this.
Porosity isn't fixed forever. Medium porosity becomes high with enough bleaching and heat. High porosity improves gradually with consistent protein treatments and gentle care. Low porosity doesn't change much genetically — but the way you apply products (warm water, lighter formulas, damp hair) makes more difference than which product you're using.
If you've been frustrated by products not delivering what they promised, identifying your porosity and adjusting your approach will likely make more difference than switching to another formula. The product isn't always the problem. The match between the product and your hair's actual absorption behaviour usually is.
The match between the product and your porosity is.
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